Here is why you use lipo bags!

I'm sorry but I have to dissagree with that statement. I understand it is "conventional wisdom" but many times it is simply not practical.

Are you recommending that we stand near our charging LiPo's every minute they are on the charger? That wouldn't be much of a time killer if there was only one 800 mAh to charge but most of us charge multiple batteries before going flying and if they are large, the total charging time can run into several hours!

A better solution is to make a LiPo fire/explosion a minor incident by using a quality LiPo bag EVERY time a battery is charged and if the charging is being done in the house, perhaps a metal, or ceramic container is appropriate.

Using that kind of protection insures a LiPo event will be "self-contained" allowing the flyer to do other things while his batteries are charging.

...The Bum

Thanks for a favorable common sense comment here Bum. It's easy for people to say THIS is what you should have done, but I live in the REAL world where I work 60+ hours a week and have little time to fly much less stand over my lipo's while they are charging. I hate to tell you guys but even if you ARE at home you better be RIGHT THERE when it goes south because it's explosive! Not playin the blame game here just trying to raise awareness!

I would never ever leave my house with lipos charging, even if they were in a fire pit, and nothing around to catch fire Lipos are Dangerous, if not treated with RESPECT, Just My 2 cents worth, Take care, Chellie

This is weird? I suspect a surge and your charger did not agree... No way I would leave the house dude while charging, almost like leaving a cordless

How do you press the trigger on the drill if you're not home?

Buddy have u used one? They have trigger holders that can keep the drill on without finger strain, being so negative can dumbfound u I see. Maybe your lipo balance was so bad your charger went to stupid mode and overheated.

I keep all my Lipo's in a fire proof strong box. I also keep bags of sand on top of them. I hope this will help in the case of a fire. I pray that I never have to find out though.
As for charging them, I never leave the house when a Lipo is on charge. I place a smoke alarm on top of the battery being charged. I try to find projects in the shop to keep me in the room while batteries are being charged.
-Andrew

I'm not going to debate the "real world thing". I understand the point even if I don't agree with it.

I would just like to say that IMHO, if you are around to watch your batteries charge, I would think that hiding them inside a bag, box, vase....or whatever....would allow a swelling battery to continue to get worse until something bad happens.

I much prefer to keep my batteries charging where I can actually see them, but on a fireproof surface.

Buddy have u used one? They have trigger holders that can keep the drill on without finger strain, being so negative can dumbfound u I see. Maybe your lipo balance was so bad your charger went to stupid mode and overheated.

Uh, that was a joke buddy. I know they have trigger holders. Good Lord lighten up

Consider for a moment that the FDA won't approve a drug that has just a few "adverse events" per 1000 doses given. ..If Lipo's are blowing up at a similar rate then one has to wonder if they should be in use at all.

I guess that you haven't heard of FDA fast tracking drugs to the market. It's a way around extended testing etc! The real points here are to be in the area of the LiPo's being charged and use the LiPo bags for safety's sake if nothing else. Sounds like a no brainer to me.

as always....the subject of lipos stirs up strange dialog. opwan,i have poked a hole in almost all my bad lipos and taken pictures of them . some burst into flames when fully charged and air gets inside the cell,if dead they don't do much more than smoke a little.[if even smoke]

the flames in the ceramic vase that sits right next to me while charging absolutely will contain the flames till i toss it out side....frankly i could toss it out the living room window and have the broken window replaced for free under the new window warranty that covers any breakage for 2 years no matter how it breaks. i also guess you missed that i charge up while watching TV and surfing the net so i am way closer than you are if you leave your house while charging ,everyone protects their property differently but i would be pretty upset if i even got my home filled with the stink of a smoking lipo. that would be one tough stink to clear....

since I'm so close while charging I'm sure I'd smell the dreaded toxic smoke that usually starts out slowly...building till either acts like a smoke bomb or a seriously out of control flare.also if my cellpro charger registers a bad cell or voltage issues it won't charge the battery.instead a safety code # and alarm will sound .this will tell me whats wrong with the battery.

bottom line for charging lipos is protect life and property in that order and let all get a life that allows us to safely enjoy all aspects of electric RC.

to say "i got no time to watch lipos charge" "i live in the real world'" then consider the reality of what your saying to others to consider as "IMHO"cause someone may just take your opinion to charge lipos unattended and suffer the consequences of real burns of family or home.

well as always ...the subject of lipos...pros and cons is old, and any new comer to wattflyer will find if they search threads its the majority of people here who say lipos are fairly safe if used right and charged and stored safely.

so i leave all with a picture of the recovered lipos that i pulled from the pig that crashed...they were only partialy charged and the amount of smoke was blown away in the wind....now if that same smoke were to stay in the house till i got home from work.......go figure ,the damage would be very real even if there aren't any flames.

lastly,i have never seen any lipo explode!! catch fire like a insane street flare...yes...explode,no.

When people talk about 'exploding' lipos, they are really just referring to an 'energetic fire'. The lack of a hard casing around our LiPos means that a true explosion of any form is next to impossible...

insom, i checked out that link...the guy with the flash light was very lucky not to have gotten more hurt.....now thats what i'd call an explosion. makes us wonder how many times technoligy fails us due to lack of attenssion to safety. even as we leave our computers plugged in and on ,we chance a fire....or the many small chargers used to make our lives easier.[hummmmm,i'm sounding paranoid]

oh well,this is the real world we live and life goes on .

I'll go unplug my drills battery charger as it seems to be a little warmer then usual and it doesn't need to be on 24/7.

Good thread guys.
I've got to admit i'm quite complacent with the LiPos I have.. I tend to charge them on my workbench in my workshop (in the house) and once charged leave then sitting in a cupboard (in the house).

This is why you need to use lifepo4, the A123 brand is nice, I do not know of one with the densest weight to energy ratio, also make sure you get a good charger, you want it to shut off when a certain voltage is meet.

This is why you need to use lifepo4, the A123 brand is nice, I do not know of one with the densest weight to energy ratio, also make sure you get a good charger, you want it to shut off when a certain voltage is meet.

Aren't Life batteries only 6.4 volts though? What happens if you need more voltage? I've looked into these batteries but they don't have the voltage I need. Thanks

LifePo can handle a lot more abuse, have longer cycle life, but you are right, they are only 3.3 volts per cell. They are not as energy dense as the gen 3 batteries that came out in 2009 as well. I have a vendor in Cali that has a good selection of batteries and while I have only used them for RC cars, I have just ordered my first 4 channel plane. http://www.rclipos.com/A123_Packs.htm

This type has technologically evolved from lithium-ion batteries. The primary difference is that the lithium-salt electrolyte is not held in an organic solvent but in a solid polymer composite such as polyethylene oxide or polyacrylonitrile. The advantages of Li-ion polymer over the lithium-ion design include potentially lower cost of manufacture, adaptability to a wide variety of packaging shapes, and ruggedness. Lithium-ion polymer batteries started appearing in consumer electronics around 1996.